UEFA Europa League Qualifications

This year, one of the most important European competitions experienced a total makeover following the 2007 UEFA Executive Committee decision. Launched in 1971/1972 season the UEFA Cup became the UEFA Europa League at the beginning of 2009/2010 campaign. The new UEFA Europa League  also suffered format changes. The group stage expanded to 48 clubs that will play six matches on a home-and-away format similar to the UEFA Champions League.

Qualifications for Europa League consist in four rounds. The first round implicates 46 clubs and consists of two legs played on a home-and-away basis. Clubs that enter in the first round are drawn from the domestic cup winners and domestic league runners-up from the associations ranked 37 to 51 (except Liechtenstein) in the UEFA coefficient ranking, from the third-placed side from the associations ranked 22 to 51 (except Liechtenstein) and the three UEFA Fair Play winners.

The 23 winners from the first round qualify for the second qualification round and are joined by 57 more clubs: the fifth-placed sides from the associations ranked 7 to 9 on the UEFA coefficient, fourth-placed sides from the associations ranked 10 to 15, third-placed sides from the associations ranked 16 to 21, runners-up from the associations ranked 19 to 34 and the cup winners from the associations ranked 30 to 53. This round is also played on a home-and-away basis.

The winners of those 40 ties proceed to the next qualifying round meeting further 30 clubs in matches played home and away. Those clubs are the cup winners from the associations ranked 18 - 29, the league runners-up from the associations ranked 16 - 18, the third-placed league side from the associations ranked 10 - 15, the fourth-placed side from the associations ranked 7 - 9, the fifth-placed club from the association ranked 4 - 6 and the sixth-placed teams from the associations ranked on the first three places on UEFA coefficient.

The 35 teams winning third round are joined in the last qualifying round by another 41 teams: the cup winners from the associations ranked 1 - 17, the third-placed league clubs from the associations ranked 7 - 9, the fourth-placed teams from the associations ranked 4 – 6, the fifth place teams from the associations ranked 1 – 3 and the 15 losing teams from the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round.

Ten clubs eliminated from the UEFA Champions League play-off will automatically qualify to the group stage where are joined by the 38 winning teams rising from the qualifications rounds. The group stage is structured in 12 groups of 4 teams each. The top two teams in each group proceed to the Round of 32.
The UEFA Europa League Round of 32 includes the top two teams from each of the 12 groups, plus eight teams who finish in the third position of their group. The winners progress to the Round of 16, then the quarter-finals and afterwards to the semi-finals.

The final will be played Wednesday night, 12 May 2010 on Arena Hamburg in Germany.

For the 2009/10 UEFA Europa League match calendar fell free to visit UEFA official site.